Pliers



(No Model.)

PLIERS.

No. 496,902. Patented May 9, 1893.

w: Numus rams 00.. PHcm-umo, WASHINGTON. n. c.

UNrrEo STATES PATENT OFFIC SANFORD O. ROOT, OF LODI, NEWV YORK.

PLIERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 496,902, dated May 9,1893. Application filed October 25, 1892. Serial ITO. 4 194 2. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SANFORD 0. Room, a citizen of the United States,residing at Lodi, in the county of Seneca, State of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Pliers, of which thefollowing is a specification, reference being had therein to theaccompanying drawings.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in thatclass of pliers embodying in connection therewith nippers orcutting-jaws, and it is designed primarily as an improvement upon theconstruction shown in the patent No. 47 7,066, issued to me June 14,1892, having for its object to improve in several particulars thereupon.

Among the primary objects is to increase the efiective portion of thecutting-plates as well as to dispense with the screws employed in theold construction for holding them in place. In the present constructionthe cutters are seated in recesses and held in place therein without theemployment of extraneous means, the said cutters being held byfrictional engagement of the adjacent or opposing faces of the same andthe companion jaw of the pliers. The cutting-plate has its edges at aright angle to the sides so that it may be reversed and its positionchanged to present new cutting edges; thus a cutting plate having sixsides can be made to present twelve different cutting edges, increasingthe durability or life of the cutter greatly beyond that of a cutterhaving its edges beveled as in my old form of construction. The pliersmay have one or two of such cutting-plates; when only one is used thecompanion jaw may have any suitable provision for coacting with thecutting-plate; it may be chilled, or otherwise equipped for service.

A further object of the invention is to provide means whereby the pliersmay be manipulated with one hand in case the handles thereof become sofar spread as to otherwise render it a difficult matter to grasp bothhandles. For this purpose I provide one of the handles with afinger-hold arranged between the two handles and designed to be graspedby the fingers until the handles have approached near enough to eachother to enable them to be manipulated in the usual manner. The endconnection of this finger-hold is of a sliding nature so as to permit ofits movement in order to let the handles come as near together as isnecessary. This finger-hold may sometimes be extended in the form of aspring to normally keep the jaws separated.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter appearand the novel features thereof will be specifically defined by theappended claims. The invention is clearly illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, which, with the letters of reference markedthereon, form a part of this specification, and in which- Figure 1 is aview of my improved pliers with a portion broken away and the jaws open.Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the finger-hold and spring detached.Fig. 3 is a cross section through the line 3 3 of Fig. 1, looking in thedirection of the arrows. Fig. 4is a perspective view of one of thecuttingplates removed.

Like letters of reference indicate like parts throughout the severalviews.

Referring now to the details of the drawings by letter, A designates oneof the members of the pliers, and A the other member. Each membercomprises a handle portion and a jaw Aiand may be of any approvedconstruction except as hereinafter specified.

gether by suitable means as a screw (1. The members are provided withthe slots at similar to those of the prior patent, and in fact thegeneral construction of the parts is substantially the same, althoughother forms may be employed in connection with my present improvementswhich I am now about to describe.

B are the cutting-plates which may assume any polygonal form and theiredges are at right angles to their faces as seen in Figs. 3 and 4 whichconstruction renders them reversible, which they cannot be when beveledas in my prior patent, and also permits of their being changed inposition so as to bring a different side into use when the one becomesworn past its usefulness. Thus with a six-sided cutting-plate I obtainsix different cutting edges or faces upon each side or face of theplate, and this being reversible makes twelve, six upon each side. Thesecutters are disposed in correspondingly shaped sockets The two membersare pivotally secured 130- or recesses C in the inner faces of the diskportions a of the members of the pliers adjacent to the slots a thereinas seen in Figs. 1 and 3 and so located that one of the cutting edges ofeach plate is substantially parallel with and adjacent to one of theside walls of the slot. In case two of these cutters are arranged in theone pair of pliers they are arranged at opposite sides of theconjunctive slots, opposing and workingupon one another. If a singlecutter is employed it will bear the same relation to the slot in themember in which it is mounted and the other member can be suitablyconstructed to co-operate therewith. The plates are secured in theirsockets or recesses simply by frictional contact of the edges thereofand the walls of the recesses and no screw or other means is necessary;they cannot become displaced owing to each plate being held againstdisplacement by the adjacent or opposing face of the companion jaw ofthe plier as seen best in Fig. 3. The cutter need not necessarily be avery snug fit, in fact, it is desirable that the fit be such that theplates can be readily removed when it is desired to change them or theirposition.

D is a supplemental handle or finger-hold; it may terminate at its pointof attachment to the handle of the member A as indicated by the line atw, or it may be continued and made thinner to form a spring which bearsagainst the opposite member as seenin Fig. 1 to normally keep the jawsseparated. The finger hold may be secured to its member in any suitablemanner as by a screw d as seen in Fig. 1. The spring portion D has itsend curved to bear against the member A and permit free movement withminim um friction. The other end of the finger-hold is bent atsubstantially a right angle to its length and provided with a slot 6which extends nearly the whole length of said right angled portion E asseen in Fig. 2 and in which slot works a screw or other device F held inthe end of the handle portion of the member Aas seen in Fig. 1, theconnection being such as while it permits free sliding movement of theportion E the latter is prevented from displacement.

In practice, with the jaws spread or open it is a difficult matter tograsp the member A with the fingers of the hand which has-hold of themember A, and here is where the finger-hold plays its part. With thejaws spread the fingers first grasp the finger-hold and thus pull themember A toward the other one and when the said member is near enough tobe grasped by the fingers the same may be done and when further pressureis applied the screw F will ride in the slot of the portion E of thefinger-hold and permit the handles of the two members of the pliers tobe brought close together.

Modifications in detail may be resorted to without departing from thespirit of the invention or sacrificing any of its advantages.

What I claim as new is 1. Cutting pliers provided with polygonalcutters, having their edges at right angles to their sides or faces andseated in polygonal recesses in the opposing faces of the jaws and heldin place therein solely by frictional engagement of the parts and theopposing faces of the opposing jaws, substantially as described.

2. In combination with a. polygonally recessed jaw of pliers, a cutterhaving a poly,,- onal outline with its edges at a right angle to itssides or faces and held in said recess by solely frictional contact ofthe walls of the recesses and the sides of the cutter whereby it may bemoved and reversed to present new cutting edges or faces and aco-operatingjaw similarly provided,substantially as specified.

3. Cutting pliers having polygonal recesses in its jaws, and polygonalcutters with their edges at a right angle to their faces or sides andseated in said recesses and held in place solely by the walls of thesame and the adjacent or opposing face of the jaws, substantially asspecified.

4:. Cutting pliers, one of the members of which is provided with afinger-hold secured to said member and having one end movable withrelation to and guided by means on said member, as set forth.

5. Cutting pliers one of the members of which is provided with afinger-hold movable with relation to the member to which it is attachedand extended to form a spring bearing against the other member, as setforth.

6. The combination with the two members of a pair of pliers, of afinger-hold secured to one member and having a right angled portionslotted and engaging a projection on the end of said member,substantially as and for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

SANFORD O. ROOT. Witnesses:

GILBERT TOWNSEND, RICHARD K. SPEAR.

